Sunday, March 15, 2009

S.A.D. 35 - 40: "Undefeated Sketchwork"


"Boxer Study"

I've been strumming away at the visual tunes for my solo exhibit in August. You may remember it being "We Can Be Heroes." But I've switched streams on it, and will be making a show called, "Undefeated," featuring paintings, drawings, and an installation of my recent boxer pieces. Its themes include the bare-bones brutality of physical combat, mixed with the beastly nature of that world and it's denizens. Here are some of my concept sketches (plus two in-progress paintings) for the exhibit. Bon appetit!


"Boxer Study with Heads"


"Bring It On" painting in progress. Oil & graphite under-painting


"Bring It On" painting in progress -- detail


"Bring It On" painting in progress -- detail

"Soft Sculpture Sketches" -- I've been saving stacks of foam for these guys. They'll be about one-foot square, and maybe two-feet tall (with the wooden base). I used to do tons of sculpture stuff when I was a kid, so I'm anticipating getting back into it with these guys. It should be a fun time, as long as making them doesn't turn into a total disaster.

"Short Wall Installation" -- There's a short wall in the space that extends from the display window to where the cash register is. That's where these grapplers will go! I'm going to paint them on large sheets of wood, cut 'em out to shape, then affix them to the wall in segments, adding into one big 'ol piece. This is definitely the most ambitious show I've ever worked on.

"Back & Side Wall Installations" -- These guys will also be large sheets of wood, mounted to the walls. I'll be stenciling and painting textures on the walls, as a backdrop to the big guys. I'm especially eager to work on the back wall installation. Not only will its arms reach over the office windows, upstairs. It'll also have 12 rough ink & paint pieces hanged on the boxer's belly. Each framed piece will represent a round of a fight.Ka-POW!

"Hunger For Competition" -- I wasn't kidding when I said this world is "beastly," ya'll!

"Hunger For Competition" -- detail

"The Spoils" sketch -- It's not all brutes in my boxer-addled brain. The finest fighters are sired with the best females available. But I'm making the "hot women" visuals just as monstrous as the boxers. I want this stuff to be raw, not cute or hip.

- Bunker, out.

3 comments:

kungfutoast said...

oh snap! these are sick. I'm really diggin the wolf.

Dave Crosland, aka King Gum said...

Thanks, mang! Yeah, that wolf all came out of the "Hungry For Competition" painting. That's one of the things I love about the boxer work. It, literally, just comes pouring out. I sit down with my materials, and the work just... happens. It's the most exploratory art I can ever remember myself making.

Unknown said...

These boxer pieces are super RAD! What's the details on this show, where, when, etc?